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Thread: Teach me something?

  1. #1
    Featured Member Fawn's Avatar
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    Default Teach me something?

    So, I was discussing mythology with a customer yesterday, and found what he had to say very interesting. I've wanted to learn a bit more about the greek/ roman Gods and Goddesses for a while now. So basically, I know about Venus/ Aphrodite, Isis, Zues and Eros... but I want to know more, and I want to learn in an entertaining way. The books I've tried to read before drone on and on and I've got a touch of ADD.

    I find that I can really pay attention here because the subject matter is always made fun and interesting, and the jokes help things stick in my mind.

    So there you go. Teach me?
    " Remember during each test there is some girl in Australia jealous of you who wants to do what you're doing."- Lilithmorrigan

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    Member Samantha Coyle's Avatar
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    Default Re: Teach me something?

    I'm sorry to say I'm a HUGE Roman history geek, so here goes (just some basics about the BIG gods):

    Apollo:
    Apollo is the son of Jupiter and Leto, and the twin brother of Diana . He is the god of music, playing a golden lyre. The Archer, far shooting with a silver bow. The god of healing who taught man medicine. The god of light. The god of truth, who can not speak a lie. One of Apollo's more important daily tasks is to harness his chariot with four horses an drive the Sun across the sky. He is famous for his oracle at Delphi. People traveled to it from all over the Greek world to divine the future. His tree was the laurel.

    Ceres:
    Corn Goddess. Eternal Mother. The Sorrowing Mother. Grain Mother. Goddess of agriculture, grain, crops, initiation, civilization, lawgiver and the love a mother bears for her child. Protectress of women, motherhood, marriage. Daughter of Saturn and Ops. She and her daughter Proserpine were the counterparts of the Greek goddesses Demeter and Persephone. Her worship involved fertility rites and rites for the dead, and her chief festival was the Cerealia.

    Diana, my personal fave:
    Fertility Goddess. Moon Goddess. Huntress Goddess. Triple Goddess- Lunar Virgin, Mother of Creatures, the Huntress or Destroyer. Goddess of nature, fertility, childbirth, wildwood, moon, forests, animals, mountains, woods, and women. Goddess of the hunt. In Roman art Diana usually appears as a huntress with bow and arrow, along with a hunting dog or a stag. Both a virgin goddess and an earth goddess, she was identified with the Greek Artemis. She is praised for her strength, athletic grace, beauty and her hunting skills.

    Juno:
    Queen of the Gods. Jupiters wife and sister, sister to Neptune and Pluto, daughter of Saturn, mother of Juventas, Mars, and Vulcan. Protectress of the Roman state. She was the guardian of the Empire's finances and considered the Matron Goddess of all Rome. The Matronalia, her major festival is March 1-2. Her other festival, on July 7-8, was called Nonae Caprotinae ("The Nones of the Wild Fig"). The month of June was named after her.

    Jupiter:
    Ruler of the Gods. He is the god of Sky, Lightning and Thunder. He is the son of Saturn and brother of Neptune, Pluto and Juno, who is also his wife. His attribute is the lightning bolt and his symbol the eagle, who is also his messenger. He was also considered the Patron god of Rome, and his temple was the official place of state business and sacrifices.

    Mars:
    God of war, spring, growth in nature, agriculture, terror, anger, revenge, courage and fertility. Protector of cattle. The son of Jupiter and Juno, he was the god of war. Mars was regarded as the father of the Roman people because he was the father of Romulus, the legendary founder of Rome, and husband to Bellona. He was the most prominent of the military gods that were worshipped by the Roman legions. The martial Romans considered him second in importance only to Jupiter. His festivals were held in March (named for him) and October.

    Mercury:
    God of Trade, Profit, Merchants and Travellers. His main festival, the Mercuralia, was celebrated on May 15 and on this day the merchants sprinkled their heads and their merchandise with water from his well near the Porta Capena. The symbols of Mercury are the caduceus (a staff with two intertwined snakes) and a purse (a symbol of his connection with commerce).

    Minerva:
    Goddess of Wisdom, Learning, the Arts, Sciences, Medicine, Dyeing, Trade, and of War. Daughter of Jupiter, protectress of commerce, industry and education. Honored at the spring equinox with her main festival, March 19 - 23, called the Quinquatria. On June 13 the minor Quinquatrus was observed.

    Neptune:
    God of the Sea. Brother of Jupiter, Pluto and Juno. The God and patron of Horses and Horse Racing as Neptune Equester. Neptunalia was celebrated on July 23. The trident is Neptune's attribute.

    Venus:
    Originally a Goddess of Gardens and Vinyards, Venus became the major deity of love and beauty after the influx of Greek deities. On August 18 the Vinalia Rustica was observed. A second festival, that of the Veneralia, was celebrated on April 1 in honor of Venus Verticordia, who later became the protector against vice. On April 23 a festival, the Vinalia Priora, celebrated the opening of one of her temples.

    Vesta:
    Goddess of the Fire (both sacred and domestic) and the Hearth. Daughter of Saturn and Ops. Her sacred animal was the ass. Patroness of bakers. Her chief festival was the Vestalia on June 7. One of the most worshipped of the Roman deities.

    Vulcan:
    God of Fire, Blacksmiths and Craftsmanship. His forge is located beneath Mount Etna. It is here that he, together with his helpers, forges weapons for Gods and heroes. Closely associated with Bona Dea with whom he shared the Volcanalia, observed on August 23.

    But that's just the major pantheon. The Romans had a whole host of minor gods and foreign cults as well. The Ancient Roman attitude toward the deities was not spiritual in our sense of the word. It was more like a legal contract - we sacrifice, and you keep our crops free from disease or whatever. They also adopted the foreign cults because, well, you never know, right? Better safe than sorry ;-)
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  3. #3
    Jay Zeno
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    Default Re: Teach me something?

    Kronos/Saturn, Zeus'/Jupiter's father, castrated his own father, Uranus. This is while Uranus is lying with his wife, Gaia (of "mother earth" fame).

    Kronos/Saturn, being the playful sort, threw his dad's testicles into the ocean, and out of the ocean foam, Aphrodite/Venus emerged.

    Lots of neat little stories in mythology. Narcissus, the most beautiful kid ever, who was so enraptured with his own looks that he couldn't pry himself away from his reflection in the pool. The gods took pity on him and turned him into a flower, and indeed we do have a flower we call the narcissus. It's also where we get the term "narcissism."

    Bellerophon and Pegasus is a cool story. Icarus and Daedalus. Perseus. Hercules. There's tons of great fables out of that mythology.

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    Featured Member snoopy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Teach me something?

    i've always found greek mythology very interesting too. very debauched and perverted stories! zeus basically boffs everything and everyone in every shape and animal imagineable and begets every hero. very "internet" before the internet.

    but seriously, greek mythology holds a wealth of tragedies and plain human lessons on life.

    the story of orpheus is one of my favorites, a tragic love-story. he braves death's domain to win his beloved wife back from the dead but succumbs to human doubt at the last possible moment and as a result loses her all over again.

    btw, other mythologies are just as interesting and rich imho. i love japanese and indian in particular (actually, there are very interesting parallels in all those cultures and others). you can find mythologies told in comic book form that are both easy and fun to read.

    in fact, the orpheus story i mentioned above has a version written by neil gaiman, one of the best comic book writers ever imo. i've read classic versions, modern versions, and other comic versions of it but i think he did the best interpretation of it. highly recommended. hth

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    God/dess Mr Hyde's Avatar
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    Default Re: Teach me something?

    Not picking on you...but your lack of knowledge on this is why I think it should be mandatory to teach a full year of western humanities in our high schools.

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    God/dess Mr Hyde's Avatar
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    Default Re: Teach me something?

    Oh...and if you want an interesting jumping off point for learning Greek mythology, start with Hercules.

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    Default Re: Teach me something?

    Rent Clash of the Titans. Giggle at the cheesy special effects.

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